Better than the Originals: Vegan Samoas!

Every once in a while I get a craving for those caramel-coconut-chocolate Girl Scout Cookies. But since the originals are full of mystery ingredients and partially hydrogenated miscellany, I prefer to make my own.

I found this recipe here and it just knocked my socks off. I mean, someone has to take these away from me before I eat myself to death.

I had planned to make these in three stages: shortbread cookie base + coconut-caramel topping + carob drizzle. And then I found they were just fantastic without the attempt at non-chocolate chocolate and skipped the last step.

Here it is.

Ethereal shortbread cookies:

3 oz palm oil

1 oz coconut oil

1 Tbs hazelnut milk

2 Tbs raw sugar, ground in coffee grinder

½ tsp vanilla

4 oz whole wheat pastry flour (freshly ground from Soft White Wheat)

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

Cream oils and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Incorporate remaining ingredients, gently mixing in the flour last. I tried shaping them into O's on the parchment, but they all melted down into thin, impossibly light and delicate circles in the oven. I got sixteen of them.

Bake at 375 for 14 minutes, or until starting to brown at the edges. Let cool.

Awesome caramel-coconut sauce:

1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk

2/3 cup brown sugar (I'd use less next time!)

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Mix first three ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until thickened to maple syrupy consistency.. about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add in vanilla and coconut.

Spoon the caramel onto the cooled cookies, if any of them are left, and spread it around gently. I only was able to use about half of the sauce, and I have a sneaky suspicion the rest will end up swirled into some homemade coconut-caramel ice cream...